Medications in the News

Vytorin

The recent study called the Enhance Trial that compared Zocor to Vytorin (which is Zetia and Zocor combined) did not look at the medications' ability to lower bad cholesterol (LDL), nor did it look at their ability to reduce heart attacks or deaths. Additionally, it was not looking for, nor did it show, any harmful side effects to patients. Instead, it narrowly looked at the effect each medication had in reducing the plaque found in the neck (carotid) arteries. We join the American Heart Association in its opinion that the study was not large enough or long enough to determine whether the combination drug is more or less effective than the single drug. We urge patients to continue taking their medication, as high cholesterol levels are a very important risk factor for coronary heart disease.